Vacuum cleaner



VACUUM CLEANER Filed 001;. 22, 1938 Qw ha M w a QM Mwv NN kw WW NM QM NH m T m V m 1 I I am kw mm QM R i MN ww 3 an a 3m 2w NM bwww Hm 3 4k. s an 34 I I um um an .3 aw I H 2 N Ev mm aw QM aw Patented Feb. 13, 1940 PATENT OFFICE VACUUM CLEANER Johan Eric. Valdemar Edstrom,

Stockholm;

Sweden, assignor to 'Electrolux Corporation,

New York, Y., a corporation of. Delaware Appiiauon October 22, 1938, Serial No. 236,439

. In Sweden October 2'1, 1937 Claims.

ble that some very fine dust may pass through the dust bag. The air in passing through the fan laden with this fine dust may deposit some of it in the fan. This fine dust may ultimately clog or partially close some of the passages toor from 16 the fan. It has been a practice to direct a part or'all of the air, passing through the cleaner, through the motor driving the fan for a more efficient cooling of the motor. This fine dust carried by the air after passing through the dust bag may interfere with the operation of the motor if deposited there, This fine dust may be separated from the air before. it enters the fan by an'air purifier or filter-formed of fine mesh cloth or other material located in the .path of air flow from the dust bag to the fan. The air in passing through the motor may collect carbon dust from the motor brushes. It is desirable to remove this carbon dust by an air purifier or'filter located between the motor and the exhaust opening of the vacuum cleaner. .An air purifier or filter which separates such fine dust particles from the air may become clogged in the course of time and interfere with the passage of air through the vacuum cleaner. It is highly desirable to arrange 36 these air purifiers so that they are readily accessible for removal and may be cleaned or replaced by a new one. Experience has demonstrated that unless they are readily accessible they may not be removed until they have impaired the opera- 0 tion of the vacuum cleaner if they are removed at all.

In accordance with my invention a single air purifier is provided which serves to filter out the fine dust particles as the air passes from the dust bag'to the fanand also to remove the carbon dust after the air leaves the motor. This air purifier is locatedin a filter housing which may be removed for ready access to the air purifier. so What I consider to be novel and my invention may be better understood by reference to the following specification and appended claims, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vacuum cleaner embodying the improved air purifie'r and;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of a vacuum. cleaner embodying a modified form of the invention. I

Referring 'tothe drawing, It] indicates a vacuum cleaner casing. A cleaning tool is connected to casing ID by a flexible hose l2. A rigid tubular handle l3 may be interposed between the hose l2 and cleaning tool M if desired. 10

Hose I2 is connected to casing ID by a coupling 4 in threaded engagement with a cover l5. A sleeve |6 of insulating material is interposed between coupling I4 and cover |5. Cover I5 is detachably secured .to casing In by spring clips I1 only one of which is shown in Fig. 1. A dust bag I8 is located in casing l0 which is formed of cloth or other material impervious to dirt generally but pervious to air. A dust bag ring I9 is provided with a flange on which is mounted a flexible gasket 20. Ring l9 and gasket 20 are clamped between casing Ill-and cover l5.

A ring 2| preferably of non-metallic material is secured to casing 0. A filter housing 22 is secured to ring 2| and is provided with a thread- 23 ed exhaust opening 23. A motor 24 driving a fan 25 is secured to ring 2|. A plurality of helical springs 26 are interposed between motor casing 21 and ring 2|. A fan housing 28 having an inlet opening 29 is secured to motor casing 21. :10

An air tight cylindrical baffle or housing 30 forming an air passage 3| from the rear, shown at the right in Fig. 1, communicating with the inlet opening 29 of fan housing 28 is secured to ring 2|.

A perforated cylindrical sleeve 32 is secured to ring 2| and spaced from motor casing 2'|. An annular rubber ring 33 is secured to the end of sleeve 32 and abuts a shoulder 34 in filter housing 22. A dished perforated disk 35 .is secured to sleeve 32. A cylindrical shroud 36 is secured to motor casing 21. A rubber ring 31 extends from shroud 36 to sleeve 32. Ring 31 may be formed integrally with ring 33. Sleeve 32, disk 35, ring 33, and ring 31 may be secured together as by means of a plurality of rivets 38.

An air purifier or filter 39 extends between the perforated sleeve 32 and filter housing 22 and between perforated disk 35 and the exhaust opening 23 of filter housing 22. Filter 39 is preferably formed of a cloth material impervious to very fine dust and dirt. Filter 39 is of cup shape and its outer end is secured to a filter ring 40 as by means of a thread binding 4 Ring 40 has an outwardly extending flange 42 with a flexible gasket 43.

Flange 42 and gasket 43 are clamped between ring 2| and filter housing 22. Rings 33 and 31' separate filter housing 22 into two chambers, one a peripheral chamber in which the cylindrical portion of filter 39 is located and the other an exhaust chamber communicating with the exhaust opening 23 in which the disk shaped portion of filter 39 is located. Ring 33 also holds filter 39 in contact with shoulder 34 of filter housing 22.

A threaded nut 44 is secured centrally of disk 35. Filter housing 22 is secured to ring 2| by means of a bolt 45 in threaded engagement with nut 44. Bolt 45 passes through a ring 46 located in the center of filter 39. Filter 39 may be removed for inspection and replacement by unscrewing bolt 45 and removing the filter housing 22.

The operation of the above described device is as follows:

Operation of the fan by motor 24 draws dirt laden air in through cleaning tool II. The dirt laden air passes through hose l2, coupling l4, and cover I5 into the interior of dust bag IS. The dirt is separated from the air as it passes through the dust bag I8. The air passes between housing and the casing l0 and thence through passages 41 provided in ring 2| into filter housing 22. The air then passes through the cylindrical portion of filter 39 which separates out any fine dust which description of Fig. 1.

may have passed through the dust bag l8. The air passes through perforated sleeve 32, around the spring 26, through passage 3| between the housings 28 and 30, and enters the inlet opening 29 to fan 25. The air continues through fan 25, motor 24, disk 35, and then passes through the disk portion of filter 39. In the passage of the air through the disk portion of filter 39 any-carbon dust which may have been picked up in the passage of the air through motor 24 is separated from the air. The air then leaves the vacuum cleaner through the exhaust opening 23. Thus the single filter 39 by its cylindrical portion purifies the air before it enters the fan 25 and by its disk shaped portion purifies the air before it leaves the-exhaust opening 23.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 similar parts are designated by the same numerals used in the A spiral spring 48 for resiliently mounting the motor casing 21 in the ring 2| is substituted for the helical spring 26 of Fig. 1.

A filter 49 is provided with two layers of filtering material instead of the single layer of the filter 39 of Fig. 1 for more efiiciently removing very fine dust and to lengthen the life of the filter as it will be able to accumulate more dirt and dust before it will become clogged or before it will impair the operation of the vacuum cleaner. A

perforated ring 50 is located between the two layers of the filter. Ring 50 is provided with a bulbous enlargement 5| at one end holding filter- 49 in contact with ring 2| and a bulbous enlargement 52 at the other end holding filter 49 in contact with shoulder 34 of filter housing 22. The sleeve 32 and disk 35 of Fig. 1 are combined in a single perforated cup shaped member 53 secured to ring 2|. Member 53 carries the threaded nut 44 by which filter housing 22 is secured to ring 2 I. The peripheral portion of filter housing 22 is separated from the portion adjacent the exhaust opening by the ring 31 and the bulbous enlargement 52 which contact opposite sides of member 22. The operation of the devices shown in Fig. 2 is exactly the same as the operation of the devices of Fig. 1 as described above.

What I claim is:

- 1. A vacuum cleaner including a casing having an inlet opening at one end, a closure member secured to said casing at the other end having an outlet opening, a dust separating member in said casing adjacent said inlet opening, a motor-fan unit mounted in said casing, a fine dirt filter located in said closure member, means guiding air passing from said dust separating member to said fan through a portion of said filter,'and

means guiding air passing from said fan to said exhaust opening through a portion of said filter. 2. A vacuum cleaner including a casing having an inlet opening at one end, a filter housing secured to said casing at the other end having an exhaust opening, a dust separating member in said casing adjacent the inlet opening, a motorfan unit mounted in said casing, a ring separating a peripheral chamber from an exhaust chamber ing having one portion extending into the peripheral chamber and another portion extending into the exhaust chamber of said filter housing, means guiding air passing from said dust separating in said filter housing, a filter in said filter houssaid casing adjacent the inlet opening, a motorfan unit mounted in said casing, a cup shapedfilter located in said closure member, a flanged ring secured to said filter and clamped between said closure member. and said casing, means guiding the air passing from the dust separating member to the fan through a portion of said filter, and means directing the air passing from said fan to the exhaust opening through another portion of said filter.

4. A vacuum cleaner including a casing having an inlet opening at one end, a closure member secured to said casing at the other end having an exhaust opening, a dust separating member located in said casing adjacent to the inlet opening, a motor-fan unit mounted in'said casing, a filter located in said closure member having a plurality of layers of filtering material, a perforated ring having bulbous enlargements at each end located between adjacent layers of filtering material and clamped between said casing and said closure member, means guiding the air passing from the dust separating member to the fan through a portion of said filter, and means guiding the air passing from the fan to the exhaust opening through another portion of said filter.

5. A vacuum cleaner-including a casing having an inlet opening at one end, a closure member secured to said casing at the other end having an exhaust opening, a dust separating member located in said casing adjacent to the inlet opening, a'motor-fan unit mounted in said casing, a perforated cup shaped membersecured to said casing, means removably securing said closure member to said cup shaped member, a filter located in said closure member, means clamping said filter between said casing and a shoulder of said closure member, means guiding air passing from the dust separating member to the fan through a portionv of-said filter and means guiding air passing from the fan to the exhaust opening through anotherportion of said filter.

JOI-IAN ERIC VALDEMAR EDSTROM.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,l90 ,b,'TO. Febru'ary 15, 191 0.

It is hereby certified that error appears. in the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: I'h the graht, line 1, name of inventor, for "JOHN ERIC VALDEMAR EDSTROM" read J OHAN ERIC VALDEMAR EDSTROP'k-yand that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the recordof the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 7th day of May,',' A. D. 191K).

N 1 I Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

